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Despite suffering his first professional defeat in his last fight, 2008 Olympic champion James DeGale has secured a shot at the European super-middleweight title later this year.

DeGale will fight Piotr Wilczewski for the European title, but as yet no date or venue have been confirmed, although rumours are suggesting that the fight will take place on 17th September in London.

Amateur rival George Groves won a disputed majority decision in DeGale’s last fight, and many would say he is more deserving of the European title fight than DeGale, but it is the Olympic champion who has been awarded the fight, and he says it is all down to manager Frank Warren, who used all of his powers of persuasion to arrange the fight in his man’s favour.

DeGale admitted that he still considers the Groves fight a win for him – which the judges and record books disagree with James – and that therefore, he is fully deserving of the chance to fight for the European title.

Wilczewski, the 32-year old Polish fighter, who is vastly experienced, is “not worried by coming to England to face him,” and I don’t believe he should be. DeGale has showed that all he has to do is open his mouth and he is in trouble. In the Olympics – that he keeps referring back to – he just got on with the job. Since turning professional, it has been all about the mouth. A bit like David Haye – who also lost his last fight.